The Best Cheese on Earth: Dr Cow

Beneath the Williamsburg Bridge, just off the East River, multitudes of microbes are silently ripening a viscous concoction formulated by two Argentinean transplants. The contents of this mixture, and of the modest kitchen itself, are poised to transform the face of one of the most impassioned and rapidly-growing foodie cultures: vegans.

Dr. Cow’s Tree Nut Cheese _______Photo: Joshua Katcher

Legend has it that thousands of years ago, in the deserts of Arabia, a nomad carrying milk in a sack made from sheep intestine produced the accidental first batch of cheese curds. Her movements agitated the amalgam of milk and intestinal enzymes and, under the hot sun, produced what we call cheese. Rennet (or Rennin), an enzyme that is a product of calf stomachs and sheep intestines is a key ingredient in typical cheeses – not only making most cheese undesirable for vegans, but also for vegetarians – many of whom imagine that cheese is somehow produced without harming animals. Some veal with your cheese?

The world of vegan cheese-like-imitations usually consists of heavily processed soy products simply made to look like cheese at first glance – and never followed through by taste or texture. Some Vegan cheese-esque products are notorious among the adventurous, and tend to elicit the response “well it tastes ok if you cook it in something and add a ton of nutritional yeast, but never on its own”. Placing a block of vegan ‘cheese’ on a board among fruit and crackers would be considered heretical among cheese connoisseurs and self-aware vegans alike. “It Melts!” is usually the selling point for these rubbery replicas and even the long awaited ‘Scheese’, imported from Scotland is a yucky disappointment after months of anticipation by American dairy-abstainers. The only tolerable soy-based cheese is ‘Follow Your Heart’ Monterey Jack. Even still, none of these so-called cheeses even deserve the title ‘cheese’.

Fruit & Dr Cow’s Tree Nut Cheese Platter

Enter Veronicaand Pablo of Dr. Cow, a small company that got its start making granola. They use raw, organic tree nuts like cashews and macadamias as the base of their cheese products. They apply different cultures and molds, and age it like any udder cheese. The final products are irresistible, delicious, and obsession-worthy artisan cheeses that are not only amazingly savory and versatile, but they are 100% raw, vegan, and full of probiotics, enzymes, protein, healthy fats, and omega fatty acids. While conventional cow’s milk-based cheeses are laden with cholesterol, chemicals, hormones and a host of other objectionable attributes – not to mention the ethical and environmental concerns of animal agriculture and dairy-collection, Dr. Cow’s cheeses are an anomaly; Healthy and deviantly indulgent.

Pablo and Veronica have relayed to me that they are continually refining and perfecting the process of making these cheeses. There is a hard Parmesan-like variety, bleu cheese, Roquefort molded, cream cheese, herbed wheels, truffled squares, blue-green algae layers, flax-crusted, and my favorite – the original soft cashew wheel that is reminiscent of a soft, sharp cheddar. Apparently they are experimenting with Swiss Cheese bacterias now. They are pioneering a new cheese, and there is no reason that any food lover shouldn’t take them seriously. “We are perfecting a process that involves balancing many ingredients, carefully controlling environmental humidities, temperatures, and ripening processes. New York City is our testing grounds, and we certainly plan to expand”.

DB’s Etiquette Recommendation: Bring a wheel to your next gathering. I have given this cheese to many people, placed it out at parties, and tested it on devout dairy devotees. The one resounding response I hear is “Oh my god, this is really good. Really good.”

Can I mail-order? Can I beg, borrow, buy, steal or somehow get my vegan hands on some of this? I’m willing to pay the big buckaroos! Commit illegal acts. Sell my firstborn kittens. (Well, OK, not that)

I wrote the article…The cheese is available at several New York City restaurants including Pure Food & Wine, Blossom (Uptown), Supermarkets like Westerly, and the Park Slope Co-op, and specialty stores like Marlow & Sons. They are planning an expansion, and you can email them on their website and order it to be delivered anywhere (it needs cold-pack delivery, so it’s not cheap if you are far from New York City),

Finally picked it up in San Francisco, at Rainbow Grocery. I got the aged cashew – amazing. I was a stinky cheese lover back in the cruelty days, and this one is just as yummy without the evil. I never thought I’d see a vegan taleggio, but my hope has been renewed.

thank you x 1,000 for posting a list of stores where this magical concoction can be purchased. i’m currently in brooklyn visiting from austin, tx and i was dying to try these cheeses. i bought all they had at jill’s cafe and couldn’t be more impressed. for all of us who are tired of the lame plastic-y/processed flavor of most vegan cheese analogues, this is the answer. it’s insanely delicious—sharp, complex, flavorful and genuinely stinky, hooray! peace and thank you again!

This CHEESE is AWESOME!!! These people have nailed it!!! I was able to taste this at PURE FOOD & WINE the other evening and was blown away!!! It’s great to live in NEW YORK and taste these great things! I’m sure these people like me created their product so that they could eat a cheese that was delicious and nutritious. Well DONE!!!
Chrissy,
Chrissy’s Healthy Comfort Foods, Inc,

I’ve been ordering this for months and I am severely addicted to it. Unfortunately I’m in Los Angeles, and none of the vegan/health food stores have this stuff available…so it costs me an arm and a leg to ship it, but I do it because I’m freakin hooked!!! What’s in this stuff? Crack??? jesus its amazing. These Argentinians have landed on a gold mine.

Please make some available in LA soon! I may have to move to the east coast!

i hate you!!! i am officially addicted to dr. cow! i was a artisan cheese fanatic before going vegan and this just hits that perfect little cheese spot in my heart. no other vegan cheese even comes close (including teese). it cost me 21$ to have 2.5 ounces shipped to norfolk, VA from pangea and it ate every last ounce (cold) in 2 days. i hope whole foods starts carrying it at least :) i wrote them an email begging

I am a 30-year Gourmet Vegan, Ex-New Yorker, Now L.A. who dislikes the taste of the store-bought Soy-based Super Market options for cheese. Sounds like this cheese might be just what I’m looking for according to the rave reviews of it here….BUT, AT $134.40 PER POUND? I can’t think of any food that costs that much.